Film
2026 (Iraq, Qatar, United States), (Drama,) (Arabic with English sub-titles)
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
The President’s Cake is a poignant 1990-set tale of nine-year-old Lamia, who must bake her class’s mandatory birthday cake for Saddam Hussein amid Iraq’s crippling sanctions and widespread poverty. Tasked by a classroom draw, Lamia and her grandmother (and friend Saeed on a two-day odyssey) journey from the marshes to the city to scavenge scarce ingredients, navigating bustling anniversary parades, military presence, and everyday corruption. Beautifully shot and naturally acted, the film balances tenderness, humour, and danger, steering clear of heavy-handed political messaging, while exposing societal strain.
Its imaginative, plausible plot and humane moments culminate in a haunting final classroom scene. The President’s Cake is both an exhilarating adventure and a moving portrait of innocence, obedience, and survival under an oppressive regime.
(1h 45mins)